This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
Published on November 5, 2019, Ryanair has pushed back its acquisition of Boeing 737 MAX planes to March 2020, two months later than initially forecast.
The airline, one of Boeing's biggest customers with 210 planes on order, expects its 2020 passenger growth to be its lowest in years.
CEO Michael O'Leary stated that the company had lowered its estimate to 20 planes by next summer, citing the rising risk of further delay.
He also expressed doubts about Boeing's ability to meet its target of getting the plane back in service in the United States by Christmas.
U.S. carriers do not expect to fly the MAX until 2020, as they wait for regulators to end a worldwide grounding following two deadly crashes.
Ryanair faces longer delays due to the need for approval by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and specific certification for its MAX200 model.
The airline now expects to fly 157 million passengers in the year to March 31, 2021, a growth rate of just 2.6% from its target of 153 million in its current financial year.
Founded in Ireland, Ryanair operates over 400 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and serves 38 countries in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
